Great Commission Churches

The Reason for the Program

Accomplishing Our Mission

God has called the Southern Methodist Church to glorify Himself, fulfilling its role within the body of Christ by carrying out the Great Commission of Jesus Christ and by spreading Biblical holiness to all people after the example of John Wesley and the early Methodist movement.

How do we carry out the Great Commission?

How do we spread Biblical holiness?

The Southern Methodist Church will encourage church health and church growth by establishing a test group of churches and pastors to promote evaluation, encouragement and strategizing among those pastors and churches so that they can become more effective in carrying out the Great Commission and spreading Biblical holiness.

The Southern Methodist Church will seek to accomplish the following objectives:

Build stronger churches through evangelism and discipleship

Plant new churches to offset attrition and bring new growth

Encourage involvement in cross-cultural ministries at home

Build a stronger tie between the local church and the sending of missionaries

The Purpose of the Program

Providing Direction and Encouragement

The Southern Methodist Church recognizes the need to help pastors and churches renew their focus on the Great Commission (evangelizing and discipling people) and set challenging goals for their ministries.

The Southern Methodist Church desires to provide our churches with challenging goals, wise counsel, proper supervision, and ministry expertise. In order to create a channel for this provision, the denomination has decided to start this pilot program.

The Goals of the Program

Reaching Beyond our Ability to Find God's Power

 Each Great Commission Church will equip believers to do the work of the ministry, yielding a 10% annual growth rate.

Each Great Commission Church will plant 2 new churches in 5 years, yielding an expansion growth rate

Each Great Commission Church will support at least one cross-cultural outreach program, yielding extension growth

Each Great Commission Church will send/fully support at least one couple to mission field, yielding multiplication growth

These goals are challenging and demanding, but rewarding.

The Benefits of the Program

Receiving Encouragement, Training, Support

The Southern Methodist Church will provide each participating church and pastor with the following:

Help in long-range planning

Quarterly retreats for the pastor and church leaders to receive encouragement, training, supervision and support in the pursuit of program goals

Instruction and support in the planting of new churches

Demographic information for the planning of church growth and planting

Promotional materials

The Responsibilities of the Program

Each participating church must make a long-term commitment to pursue the goals of the program. This commitment is for a seven- to ten-year period of time. This program is not for every church. It is directed to the church and pastor who have a strong desire to pursue high goals and are willing to seek long-range stability, growth, and multiplication of ministry.

Each participating church must be willing to allow the pastor to attend the quarterly meetings and to pursue the goals of the program in the church. The church must be willing to share the pastor with the new churches they will plant together until the new church has sufficient leadership. This also involves a commitment to be involved in a cross-cultural ministry at home and the full support of one missionary couple on the field.

Each participating pastor must be willing to pursue the goals of the program. He must be willing to faithfully attend the quarterly meetings and attempt to implement program requirements.

The Commitment to the Program

The Southern Methodist Church, the participating local church, and the participating pastor will enter into an agreement to pursue the program.

This agreement is designed to provide understanding among the parties involved.

This agreement is not meant to be a legal contract, but a covenantal commitment to pursue the program.

Should the pastor or church reveal a lack of desire to continue in the program, they may withdraw or be instructed to withdraw from the program by the denominational leadership.